Chapter 17: Debt's to be Repaid (Part 3)

// An Ancient Foe. //

『Why is the nightmare of the ancients, here now!』 He cried out.

Aisha spoke to him in response.

『To think a homunculus dragon would be born at this time.
Not only that it appears to have made from out materials to take the shape of our color.』

The color of white and silver...
A shape of the light dragons but its disfigured form made it clear that it's just a wicked imitation.

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[The homonculous dragon are beasts created by alchemy and necromancy.
They are technically war machines in the distant past that the first demon-king, 
eliminated across the lands then destroyed every traces of knowledge of it from their world.]

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『Estel, you need to run.
The only one that can rival its strength is our race.』Aisha cried out to her.

Then her grandfather turned to her as he then said.

『Don't worry, I'll just distract it for a bit.』

『I'll follow after you, Just run!』As he said those words to her.

He then swiftly reshaped himself into a large dragon.
One of his hands remaining missing despite his form.

The reason why his hand did not heal was simply due to the fact.

During Estel's rage, she tore apart the flow of energy around his limb that allowed it to regrow.

It would take decades or so for it to restore itself but that fact alone caused him to lose a number of abilities and techniques, which he normally used in battle.

Estel herself was made aware of this back in the demon kingdom during the moment where her father told his plan to help Estel escape.

Then during that moment, she tried to heal it herself.

But it was a futile effort as only time and care appear's to be the only way to heal it.

She recalled a pang of guilt in her heart that made her remember a certain moment in her life.
A moment where someone had once protected her but ended up being in pain because of it.

A feeling and surge of misery return to her that was once lost.
But she refused to recall it.
Thinking it was just a small memory that shouldn't be remembered.

During this moment as she ran while her father charged at the beast, Estel herself was feeling confused and doubting herself.

[Was this the right thing to do?] was what she wondered but there was no time to think about it.

But something interrupted her during this situation.

『Are you really going to run away?』A voice mysterious entered her mind.
『Are you going to seriously abandon your savior once again without thanking him?』

This made Estel slowed and pause for a bit.

『Wha-what?』she cried out, as tears fell from her eyes unable to understand why.

『Estel! what are you doing?』Aisha cried out to her.

She soon realized, they are unable to hear the mysterious voice.

As her face displayed a shock expression as Aisha was questioning her.

Turning around she saw her father fight as a dragon against to dragon.
Where buildings were being destroyed people were running fleeing and she can even hear the cries of those who had lost their lives as they fled in terror.

Luna then asked.

『Don't tell us you intend to fight that thing?
Estel, that being is a creature which the first demon-king had once fought.

An ancient creature which only our race can defeat.

That thing has near limitless regeneration and strength that you couldn't possibly imagine.
To make it worse, it's a being powered by forbidden magic-using alchemy and necromancy.

A being whose only instinct is to destroy every living thing it finds!』

[What?] Estel froze at how dark the words it just said were.

Luna made proper reasoning with her.
But a mysterious voice replied to her words.

『So what...
Our life from the beginning was fated to fade anyways.』

Estel held her head as it throbs and ached.
Aisha who saw it.

『Estel, what is happening?
Your freedom is already right in front of you.

If we run now  
If you die here now then all of our efforts will be for naught!』

The mysterious voice.

『Effort? But...
What will be left?

Can you continue on like this?

This kingdom will be destroyed and your grandfather will be killed.
Leanne would surely be in a rough spot fighting for her life and would be hunted down by the order whom her family is currently their enemy.

You will be all ALONE again.

And all of this...
Is all your FAULT.』

As she heard those words her eyes broke into tears as her hands shook.

『Aaaaaaaahh... AAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhh...』
She cried and broke down as she then in anguish caused her to kneel.

『SHUT UP!』she cried out.

[What is going on...
What is this voice!
Why is this happening now!]

She cried out in her thoughts as the two familiars heard it.

Aisha then cried out『What Voice!?』

Luna was also panicking as the battle between her grandfather and the dragon rages on.

『 ESTEL!, WE NEED TO RUN NOW!』

As the creature breath fires its breath towards her grandfather.
He then punched it, and it accidentally headed right straight toward her.

The short-lived ray disintegrated parts of her clothes, only bits of it were left and her scales and hair were clearly visible for all to see, but those fleeing did not care about her appearance and simply ran for their lives.

The mysterious voice then said.

『Tell me, Estel...』

『Have you ever thought of yourself as a human?』

『Because you are not as powerless as you remain to believe you are...』

She then gazed at the scales on her arms which had turned silver, while half of it had turned dark.
Luna and Aisha tried calling out to her but her mind was in a state of shock unable to hear their voice.

『Estel! what's wrong!』In muffled sounds she only managed to recognize a fraction of their words while the sound of buildings being crushed resounded in her ears as the two dragons fought.

But the mysterious voice echoed deeply inside her.

『I've been watching you, been sleeping, been waiting.
You who have resigned yourself to death.』

『Why do you fear it now?
Now that you have something you must protect?』

『Will you simply watch this country burn.』

『Will you simply watch your friend become homeless?』

『Will you simply watch your grandfather who cared for you, killed by that thing?』

『Are you truly so cruel to abandon everything,
Now that this thing threatens to harm all you have ever loved!』

Estel cried as she held her head and begged.

『Please, this is enough!』

As she said those words, time slowed down.
The mysterious voice then said.

『In your heart, you already know the answer.』

『You have done this before.』

『You have risked your life for another...』

『Despite your selfish reasons, you ignored such things.』

『Selflessly you dove in to save her.』

『Now, you face the same circumstance.』

『Will you once again risk it?』

『Or will you flee now out of selfishness now that freedom is right in front of you.』

It then paused for a moment...
As it then finally asked the true question that Estel couldn't fathom to blind her ear's to...

『Can you live normally after experiencing something as cruel as this?』

She then cried out in anger.

『Then tell me, how can I defeat that thing if it's that powerful!』

It neither chuckled nor responded with emotion.
It simply said.

『If what they said were true...
You are the only living being that can defeat that thing.』

But the voice ruthlessly replied to her.

『Run or flee you will die the same way.』

 

『Lonely and alone, is such a life worth living for?』

In anger, Estel replied to her.

『Then why aren't you the one dealing with this you bitch!』

She cursed the voice inside of her.
Recalling her anguish, how much she has endured.
Despair returns to her mind as she remembered those days.

She then asked in confusion and frustration.

『Why... why didn't you just let me disappear!?』

She remembered.

『You couldn't have just let me die there?
You couldn't have just let me disappear like that!
You meddling bitch!』

She cursed to the top of her lungs.

Her collar that sealing away her power from erupting began to glow and chime.

As her claws dug into the ground and gripped it digging and crushing the brick floor of the city.
A large crash then fell close to where she kneeled in...

In a building a large being fell...
As the smoke cleared, she saw its figure.

Her grandfather was thrown to the ground, its body and scales were wounded.

The dragon that appeared from above...
Soon fired a ray of light upon him, he countered with a torrent of darkness from his own shadow behind him.

It was morning, Darkness is weakest during the day and light is strongest as it shined.
His power was weakened, as the ray reached him a large roar of pain came from him.

His figure was being burned yet he was still fighting despite the circumstances.
And finally, his figure fell to the ground as Estel's eyes went wide open in shock.

Then she answered her question.

『Because I pitied you.』

『Eventhough I sought to take control of your body.』

『 The moment I experienced and saw it...』

『I couldn't turn a blind eye to it.』

The mysterious voice was talking about her life in the demon castle.
A dark memory resurfaced deeply in her mind, as she had a serious expression.
As her collar chimed with power.

It was at this moment, she realized time was short and it was no longer a luxury.
She finally made a decision as she ran towards her grandfather.

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// The Debts To be Repaid. //

How many times have life given me such an ordeal...
How many times did it make me suffer so?

I do not understand these memories.

But I can feel it, they were mine and they were real.

I who once begged for death to claim my life.

I who once tried to take my own life with my hands, but couldn't gather the courage to do so...

Was pushed to such an extent where I laid my life for another.

Unable to hear, the voices of the people around me.

Unable to hear, the cries of worry and concern.

Consumed utterly by the darkness of the pain that gripped my heart.

Why? why do I remember all these now?

As she approached her grandfather who is now unable to fight nor move in his gigantic form.
The creature above the sky that was triumphant is about to fire another ray to finish him off.

Estel who ran to approach was right beside him gently caressed his large head.

『Hey, grandpa...
Didn't we promise to hatch that egg, right?
You still want to see her again, right?

So... please, don't die here.』

Luna and Aisha who saw the light coming from her understood what it meant.

『Co-contract!』they cried out.

Estel who caressed his gigantic head.

『I took your arm away from you,
And you saved my life in exchange.』

『I promise, under this contract.』

『Until I have restored your arm, I will be bound by this promise.』

A ray of light came from its mouth, she was now under the vicinity of its attack.
But as the ray reached them, their bodies were then bathed in light.

Incinerating everything around them.

Though, they stood there unharmed.

Estel's collar shining with her wings out in the open.
Her grandfather unharmed unique markings now drawn on his face.

She scowled at the homunculus dragon in the sky.
Carrying the same color of her race.

I...
Know-nothing of battle...
But...
I know what I am fighting for...
For me...
This was going to be an extremely unfair fight...

A machine against a fool.
Ridiculous...
This was the finale of my tale.
A princess who sought death in exchange for her sister's life.
The tale of the last dragon who finally found her happiness and found herself lost once again.
Whether it was a fleeting moment or not...

This time, I refuse to see someone suffer because of me again!
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// The Lurking Spirit //

As the ray of light consumed them, Estel was in a state of peace inside her mind.
Time slowed down as the chains around her neck were slowly disintegrated.

The mysterious voice then spoke to her.

『You will not be alone.』

It's echoed inside of me.

『Let me show you, that the sky you once feared.』

『Was a place where I once had embraced.』

『The memories that drowned you in fear when you faced the heavens.』

『Are not yours, but mine.』

I then asked her.『Who are you?』

『You should already know my name by now...』

『Luria...』

『I am the spirit that made a bet with you...』

『Our bet was simple, I shall exchange my memories with you.』

『If you did not find joy in life, then I will accept your decision to disappear from this world.』

『But if you were to find joy in life, then you will live onwards as you are.』

I can't even call that a bet.
It's completely rigged from the start.

『You cheated, you took away only the terrible memories.』

『You could have just possessed me.』

『Why did you choose such a roundabout way?』

Luria gently smiled at me as she then said.

『I told you before... 』

『 I pitied you.』

『I felt a connection with you...
The moment I touched your hand, memories flowed into me.

As it did for you, in that fracture of a moment.
I began to feel pity for you, that I've decided to take on all of your pain.』

『what?』
I laughed lightly at her words then asked.

『I do not understand why, why would you appear now?』

『Because the moment I obtained your memories.
I fell into a deep state of sleep,
Your despair all of your emotions and pain consumed me.

But I left the many pieces of memories inside of me.
Days of where I felt a deep connection to my companions.

My loved ones. 』

『But... as I continued to watch you.』

『I recalled fragments of my memories, piecing me together.』

『It was then at this moment realized,
That the person I'm watching was the person who carried these memories.』

『As I recalled everything, from the moment of our bet.』

『My soul and mind slowly returned to once it was...』

『However it came with a price.』

『and that is?』Estel asked.

『Our souls are now bound together in this body.』

『Then why didn't you tell me all this sooner!』

『I cannot simply tell you, who you were.』

『Otherwise I would have lost our bet.』

『Seriously, what rigged bet this was...』Estel said in her frustration.

She chuckled again.

『Be it rigged or not, we still have something to do.』

『Tch, this was supposedly your problem.』

As the two gazed up the sky, then closed their eyes.
Then time moved forward as pieces of rubble around her fell into motion.

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// The Rise of the Princess of the Demon Kingdom. //

She then opened her eyes with neither difference in color.
It was now one etched in unique colors

Aisha was in shock as they gazed at her changes.

『This is...』

Luna then answered.

『Metamorphosis.』

Her eyes have changed fitting that of a dragon,
While it also carried a unique color in it,
It remained visible dyed in red but around it gleamed with a circular ring around it.
With a color of black on its left and silver on her right.

As markings around her body began to form.
Her wings that used to only convey a single color were now mixed with its outer wings dyed in silver color and the inner part was now dyed in darker colors.

No longer do they reveal the false feather's which it once released.

As it can now freely changed its color to grey, silver, and black.
Luna and Aisha were shocked.

She controlled it without their assistance.
Revealing that she was now in full control of her body.

Her hair was now a mix of silver, grey and dark colors as it brilliantly showed a beautiful mix.

She then spoke to the two but her voice was not one.
But two echoed at the same time.

『Aisha...』

『Luna...』

『Forgive me.』

『But, I cannot abandon my grandfather nor this kingdom.』

『I owe them too much.』

『If I just fled like this...』

She gripped her hand tightly while biting her lips as she stood.

Aisha and Luna silent.
But then answered.

『Your collar is now broken...
You won't be able to control your power anymore.

Your own rage will consume you.
Are you still willing to fight even under those conditions?』The two said to her.

Meanwhile the monstrosity known as the homunculus dragon has deemed his prey eliminated.

It swiftly began to rampage in the city hunting for the citizens in its instinctual wrath.
Estel felt its presence as it moved while the buildings hid their position.

『I have nothing left to be afraid anymore.』she said.

Aisha who was puzzled by these words finally lost patience and peered into her memories.
It was there Aisha found the reason.

『I see...』he answer.

『I will leave it all to you then...』

『Luna it is time.』

Luna who was silently watching then said.

『Your not joking?』

『Yes.』

『She have met the first demon-king and earned his trust.
He had also left her with the wisdom and power of our race.

And also...
The look on her eyes tells me she will just ignore our words.
No matter what we say...』

He bitterly said.

Luna sighed as both of them transformed into their original form on the ground as they both said each of their pieces.

『You are aware that this is a big risk?』Luna complained.

『I am aware...
But remember our role, Luna.』

『Yes,
We are here to support the decision of our master.
No matter how dire the circumstances,
We are not to interfere.

Even if it would lead to their demise.』

As luna said those words the two then turned to Estel.

『I guess this is goodbye then...』

『Not many of our kin understand the reason for our existence.』

『In order to find a suitable heir for the crown.』

『In order to guide the chosen child to grow strong enough to be worthy of this power.』

『In order to see, if the chosen moonlight carried the will of the first demon-king.』

『His last will for the race of the light dragon to survive the ages of time.』

『This homunculus is weaker compared to the olden era.』

『However, it is still a powerful threat that should not be underestimated.』

『It is now clear, that you have finally chosen to accept us.』

The two dragon scales then began to shine in their colors.

『Welcome, back.
Estel Rue the Lost Daughter of our nation.

May this power bring darkness to your foes.
And bring light to your loved ones.』

She nodded in response to them.

As both of them disappeared.
After what occurred she felt the heat across her body.
She felt pain and ache from her head, a single horn grew on the left side of her head.

A slightly short then formed from her backside as it barely to the ground.
And new bits of marking on her tail to her shoulder then reaching face had formed as it stretched towards her horn.

In a single moment.

She was no longer the human and was too distant to what one could refer to her as...
Aisha and Luna were the familiar which kept her ancestral blood at bay.
But now that they had chosen to perform their task to become a part of her, they now deal with its negative effects in complete silence.

[Estel knew what they were from the demon-kings wisdom.
Both of them were Guardians and Guides.

They were beings born from the blood of the light dragon itself.
Beings that seals away the power and aid the next generation.

As long as it flowed, they will return to the next generation.
In order to fulfill their duty in hopes of keeping their kind alive.]

As for her figure,
It was now fitting of the demon-kin princess of her own kingdom.
She had embraced what she had once loathed.

Embraced what she once despised that pushed her to wish for her to no longer exist.

Her own blood which carried the predecessors of the demon-kings.

『All I wanted was freedom.』

『Chain down in that prison-like home.』

『Boredom, Loneliness, and finally how they scorned me.』

『I wished for someone to take me away from that place.
Like a hero from the books which came to save his fair princess.

Ironic enough, such a tale would never happen.
Instead, I was thrown into the unknown world alone.』

Luria then answered.『But you weren't alone...』

『Indeed, I wasn't...
You were right there.』She replied.

『But I didn't hate it...』

『More like, I'm glad you did such a thing.』

Luria then said. 『Our job isn't over yet, you know.』

『I know.』As she said those words, she stood with a fierce expression in her eyes.

The homunculus dragon as it continued to rampage then felt her presence.

It has already destroyed half of the city.
The Finale of this tale is now at hand.

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Explanation:

Aisha is the protector of the mind of the dragon light that shield most of the host from malicious emotions that her blood carried.

Luna is the balance that sealed away the host from their own power,
she extends their lives by creating a balance of power within the body of its host.

Both are familiars whose role is to ensure the next generation will be worthy of attaining the power known as the moonlight.

Only one can exist every generation of their race.
And they are the ones who choose which among them are worthy of attaining such power.

They can only exist within the heritage and blood which flowed in the light dragons.
Estel was an unnatural case for them as usually Light dragons cannot survive without their mothers.

But as Estel was born in a human her growth was slower than most light dragons as she slowly gathered light as she aged until the right moment came to awaken it.

 

A/N: False wings were a huge foreboding clue in the story.
Her memories were altered to make it beautiful but were simply a fragile existence which Luria created, Luria decided to tear it apart.

As Estel once said.
"I'm no saint!"
Proceed's to throws bandits off the carriage disregarding their safety.